Cardiff University
Urban Design MA
Cardiff University

Key Course Facts

Course Description

Run in conjunction with the Welsh School of Architecture, this course enables students to learn by deploying design, theory, and development and design control practices, which inform urban design processes.

Our MA Urban Design programme is jointly delivered by the Welsh School of Architecture and the School of Geography and Planning. The goal of this programme is to enable practitioners and scholars to transform the field of urban design through critical thinking and creative practice.

Urban design is transdisciplinary, straddling professional fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and public policy, and also disciplines such as politics, economics, sociology and cultural studies. The programme fully embraces this transdisciplinarity through the theory, research training and design teaching it offers.

You will learn from academic staff from both schools who are highly accomplished and locally engaged in Cardiff, nationally in the UK, and internationally across the world. In the context of the design studios, you will also be able to benefit from the input and expertise of leading practitioners.

Studio teaching focuses on developing critically informed as well as creative and practical proposals for real sites, addressing important contemporary issues of design and urbanism.

Accreditations

  • Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
  • Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • MBA
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Urban Design, MA, if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

**Typically, you will need to have either: **

a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant subject area such as architecture, environmental design, human geography, landscape architecture, landscape design, urban design, and urban planning, or an equivalent international degree .

a university-recognised equivalent academic qualification

or relevant professional experience evidenced by a reference. The reference must be provided by your employer to evidence that you currently work in an area relevant to the programme. This should be signed, dated and less than six months old at the time you submit your application.

For further information, please visit the course page on our website:

**

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

University Rankings

Positions of Cardiff University in top UK and global rankings.

See all 34 university rankings of Cardiff University

About Cardiff University

Established in 1883, Cardiff University is located in the urban setting of the city of Cardiff, Wales. Some of the university’s most obvious advantages include world-leading research, a knowledgeable and proactive career services office, and the central location. Cardiff is a vibrant, modern city with a young and diverse population known for accepting people from all walks of life.

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Admission advice for international students